


He's Gone

by mastermoriarty1895



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 02:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mastermoriarty1895/pseuds/mastermoriarty1895
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve gets a call that changes everything and threatens to topple his world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Gone

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Loki. Much thanks for being awesome, dear.

Steve yawned as he exited the elevator. It was nine in the morning and Tony still wasn't home. Steve figured the conference had run a little later than expected and he'd missed his flight, so rather than drive all night to get home, he'd simply crashed at Bruce's for the night and he'd be back sometime around noon. Which was good because Peter had a science fair tonight and he knew Tony wouldn't miss it for the world. God, he was so proud of Peter. Only fourteen and already competing with college level students.

Steve stretched as he entered the den, he planned to go for a run this morning, but he wanted to call Tony first. He pulled his phone from the pocket of his sweat pants and dialed Tony's number. It rang a few times before "Hello?"

"Tony, I was just-"

"Psych! Seriously, I can't believe you still fall for that, Cap. Sorry, babe, I can't get to the phone right now, but I'll call you back soon, just leave me a message, okay? Love you and I'll talk to you soon."

Steve could hear the smile in Tony's voice. Tony had insisted on keeping a phone specifically for Steve to call. 'Because I shut off the other one to avoid work, and this way you can get a hold of me whenever you need to, see?'

"Hey, Tony, I was just calling to see if you were okay because you didn't make it in last night, and to remind you of Peter's science fair tonight. It's at seven, so, don't forget about it, okay? Not that you would, but just in case. So, just give me a call back when you get this. I love you." Steve hung up the phone and set it down on the coffee table. He smiled and glanced at the ring on his left hand. It was getting close to their twentieth anniversary, two weeks away. Tony had mentioned renewing their vows and Steve couldn't wait. Twenty years with Tony, most people couldn't believe he could stand the Stark playboy for that long, but then again, they only knew Tony by the mask he put on for the public.

Steve shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. He made his way to the fridge, opening it and grabbing a bottle of water. He uncapped it and took a drink, he wasn't going to bring it with him, though, he hated carrying things as he ran, his shield and the occasional person being the exceptions, so he returned it to the top shelf and closed the door. He turned around just as his phone rang. Probably Tony calling him back.

Steve smiled and quickly sprinted to the phone, checking the caller ID just to confirm that it was indeed Tony, he answered it. "Good morning, Tony."

"Uh, sir, I'm looking for a Capsicle?" The voice on the other end belonged to a man, but not Tony. He sounded somewhat bemused.

"Yeah. That's me, sorry, it's Steve Rodgers. Who is this?" Steve laughed lightly. It was just like Tony to save him as something so stupid.

"This is Officer Andrew Milligan with the N.Y.P.D. I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you." The man's voice was gruff but sympathetic. "Last night, around three A.M. we got a call about a gang-related robbery downtown near Eddie's Pizza and, uh, well, never mind the details. The victim, a Mr. Anthony Stark, I'm assuming he's the Mr. Stark, was shot three times in the chest. He didn't make it. Your number was the only one in his phone, so, I assume you're close, correct?"

Steve didn't answer. The phone fell from his hand, thudding softly on the carpet. This wasn't happening. This was some cruel joke. This couldn't happen. Tony was with Bruce, this was a mistake, false identification. Tony could not be dead. He couldn't be.

"Sir? Sir, are you still there? Sir, we need you to come to the coroner's office and identify the body."

The body. That's what Tony was now, wasn't it? Just some corpse slowly rotting on a cold slab of metal. But he was so much more than that! He was Tony Stark, he was Iron Man, he was so much more than a body, and yet, none of that mattered now.

It didn't matter that he had a family, a husband and a kid, well, two kids, if you counted Wade, which, though Tony would never admit to it, he did. It didn't matter that he was a hero who saved the world on a daily basis, or that he took more risks than the rest of the team. It didn't matter that he meant everything to Steve. It just didn't matter because he was dead.

He was never coming home, ever. He wouldn't sleep in the same bed as Tony again. He wouldn't see Tony's smile or here his laugh. Tony wouldn't ever bitch him out about turning down his music again. He'd never crack a lame joke in the middle of a fight or laugh at Steve's concern for his safety again. He'd never help Peter with his homework or work on old cars with Wade. He'd never blow up the oven trying to do something nice for Steve. He wouldn't stand in the middle of the kitchen in a soot stained apron smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head as he said 'Takeout, then?' He'd never do anything again, because he was gone.

And the worst part was, he'd probably tried to help the kid. He probably tried to stop the kid from making a huge mistake. He'd probably tried to tell the kid that he was so much better than this and he didn't need to prove himself to a world he'd never be accepted by anyway. He probably tried to save him, and what'd he get for it? He got shot. He didn't even die at the hands of a villain or in an explosion or something heroic like that. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and he could have just stood back and done nothing. But no, not Tony. He just had to try to save everyone. He died because he was a hero, even without the suit, he died because he cared too much.

Steve dropped to the floor, tears flooding his eyes. Tony was gone and he was never coming back.

Two hours later, Steve stood up shakily. He walked slowly up to his and Tony's room, the room that Tony would never step foot in again. He changed out of his workout clothes, he wasn't going for a run today, and into a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt he grabbed from his drawer.

He headed down to the garage for his motorcycle. He didn't want to drive the car that Tony fixed for him as a fifth anniversary present, and he didn't want to call the company and request a car, either. Besides, the air would do him good. At least, he hoped it would. It probably wouldn't do a damn thing, but he didn't care, really. He just wanted to get this over with so that he could, well, he didn't really know what he would do, but he'd do something. Anything.

He entered the office and cleared his throat, not really wanting to say anything, but knowing he had to. 'I uh, I came here to, I came here for T-tony." His voice cracked when he said Tony's name and he felt like his world was breaking apart again.

"Oh. Right." The woman at the desk nodded and set down her stack of files. "Officer Milligan told me you'd be by. Forgive the mess." She tried to smile at him, but couldn't seem to manage it. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Rodgers."

"Yeah. Uh, yeah." Steve nodded. He really didn't want to talk about this. He just wanted this to be done.

"This way." The woman, her name wasn't really important at this time, lead him down a hallway. "In here. Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yeah." Steve followed her through the door.

The room was dark with three metal tables, one of which was taller and covered with a white sheet. That must be Tony. Steve swallowed hard. He could do this.

"You ready?" The woman asked, stopping beside the white covered table and gripping the sheet loosely. "You don't have to do this, you know. We could get someone else to if you-"

"I can do it. I just- Just- It's Tony, right? And I'm his husband so it should be me and I just- Just show me, please." Steve struggled with the words. He really didn't want to see Tony like that because that would be final. It would be proof he was never coming back, but he had to.

"Alright." The woman pulled the sheet back enough to show his face.

Steve choked back a sob. It was Tony, but he didn't look like Tony. He was pale and had dark rings around his eyes. He wasn't smirking or smiling and it was just so wrong.

Steve wasn't sure what to say. It was Tony, that much was true, but what did he say. 'Yes, that's my husband?' Yes, that's my entire world you have laying on your table? Yes, that's twenty years of marriage and the possibility of fifty more lying dead there? Yes, that's the best thing that's ever happened to me and the father of my son and that's my everything on that table? What the hell was he supposed to say? "That's h-him. That's Tony." Steve finally said.

He just wanted to run away. To wake up screaming in Tony's arms with him muttering comforting things. 'Shh, it's alright, love. It was just a dream. I'm here, you're okay, now.' He wanted Tony to walk up behind him and yell 'Gotcha!' before collapsing into a fit of giggles. He wanted anything, anything but this. He just wanted Tony to wake up. He shouldn't be dead. Steve should have saved him. What's the point of being Captain America if he couldn't even save one person? One single person. The person that meant the most to him, the person that was his entire reason for fighting?

Steve was going to be sick. He clamped a hand over his mouth and ran. Ran all the way out of the building and didn't stop until he hit a pack of grass. Falling down on his knees he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the grass. He gasped for breath as tears streamed down his face. It was official now. It wasn't a joke or a dream. Tony was dead. He was gone forever, and he wasn't coming back, and he was just fucking gone!

And how the hell was he supposed to tell Peter?


End file.
